What Exactly Makes A Great Anime?

What in your opinion makes a truly great anime worth watching over and over?

As for me, a great anime must have breath-taking animation, an engrossing storyline, effective music and a decent script.

I think I have yet an anime to encounter with all these qualities :erm: Unless anyone out there can recommend some to me.

To the things you�ve mentioned I would like to add: interesting, deep and developing characters. Characters you can relate to, characters you can love or hate with all your heart.
This is what decides whether I find an anime worth watching again and again. This is what makes me watch one episode after another.

I totally agree…all of those things are essential, but I havent seen any anime that has all of those qualities…that sux… the world needs quality anime!

The characters. It’s definitely got to be the characters that you can just want to watch over and over again. Characters and story also go hand in hand.

And another thing: DECENT VOICE ACTING! Heh-heh-heh. I can’t say enough how evil some dubbing tends to be. I can’t watch CN’s Inuyasha anymore because of the nasty dubbing. *grin*

But for me, there also needs to be a little mit of mythos behind the character, too. I’m a big fan of things like magic and mythology. It’s not something everyone likes, but for me, anyway, that’s what I tend to lean towards. 🙂

I’m not an expert when it comes to anime… I went to the movies and watched Spirited Away recently. What I liked most was the story. Yes you can say that the characters have to be detailed and you are right when you say so, yes the script has to be original and so does the music etc.
But in the end, it doesn’t matter how original it is, or how good the quality is, it matters how much it appeals to you and you only…
yes, ofcourse everyone has requirements, but there will always be exceptions…

as for my self and mine we stay a way from every thing we can thats cumercialy dubd :angry: it has the tendance to miss serten nuonces and emotional sub text when redone by voice acters . right know im watching dragen drive in the ariginal speach with fan subs got to love the free fan subs.

as far as good anime to watch goes id say for starters jin-roh,hacksigh the real one not cartoon networks botchery,tri-gun,boysebe,record of loduss war ,vandred,gundam-seed,Hikaru No Go,chobits A MUST SEE!,onigi teacher:p ,slayers all three sets,Escaflowne,,full metal panick,rizelmine sorta slapsticky comedy,armataga the 3rd duel and palymatrix,matropalis,and the gost in the shell movie thats just to name a few! happy hunting for finding half of what i just listed IF YOU MANAGE TO FIND AND WATCH ALL OF THESE YOU MAY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT ANIME IS ABOUT MIND YOU I MEAN FROM THE FERST TO THE LAST PART OF A SERIES NO JUMPEN AROUND!

@tera
And could you tell us why these animes you mentioned are great? Because we want to hear your opinion on the why…
Well…

I especially like anime with strong character development and memorable personalities (wether they’re memorable because they’re so introverted, or because they’re outright hyper).

Some people may disagree, but I love anime with slow plots that revolve around the characters more than the ‘main plot’. That’s usually what gets me attached to a specific series. However, complex or innovative concepts behind the anime as well as symbolism and a complex plot also do a great deal of help.

I’m fine with animes with an accessible story-line, good animation and a little something that makes it different from the rest. To put it shortly, I tend to like most animes just as long as it’s themes suit my likings.

I don’t ask for too much in an anime. Good characters, a decent plot, and animation that provides more than 5 frames a scene. 🙂 Dubbing isn’t too much of a big deal in most of the anime’s I watched..in fact, in some animes like Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, I much prefer the English voice acting rather than the Japanese…=P

BTW kurohime, is the English Inuyasha that bad..? I’ve only seen a few episodes (about 5 in no real order) and I think they’re just fine..

As for me:
Looks – whether it represents humour, seriousness or whatever, either way its GOTTA look good.

Sound – Some sound effects fit in perfectly while there are times they appear out of place or too "cartoonish" and ruins a given moment.

Voice Acting – I HATE WHEN I CAN’T HEAR WHAT THEY’RE YAPPIN’ ABOUT! Even though I understand only like… 3 japanese words :p

Music – Quite handy when you’re not talking or got a big ass battle going on and you still wanna capture the mood of the scene.

Story – Has to appeal to me.

Main Characters – I have to see 1 or several elements of myself in them or else it’s pretty much a lost cause.

Sub Characters – Same thing, though they’re not as vital as the main chars mind you. Couldn’t hurt…

Theme – Love, hate, war, revenge etc. We all know the drill, but HOW is it presented to you? Do it good and I’m a dedicated fan until the end of my days, screw up and I’ll go like: "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Whenever I hear the anime title in question.

Length – Too short or too long, I dunno which is worst, so knowing when to quit is vital. Keep the fans happy, yet not begging for more or to make you stop making more eps.

Keep in mind that this list is in no real order and that it is the SUM of these elements that is the most important to me. So far, in every anime I’ve seen there’s always a little room for improvement, but overall, they’re all great IMHO.

Excellent animation, large breasts and cool fight scenes make anime enjoyable, but greatness is achieved through likeable and easily to-relate-to characters, and an original and compelling story.

good art, good animation, good plot, good characters, good music, good intro/ending theme.

and originality.

A great anime has, a usually short episode list under 30 episodes, and it has more information and you learn more when you re-watch the whole series. It also has to have a deep plot, and character developement and conflicts, plus it has to be well drawn.

Probably just the women 😉

Originally posted by tera
as for my self and mine we stay a way from every thing we can thats cumercialy dubd :angry: it has the tendance to miss serten nuonces and emotional sub text when redone by voice acters . right know im watching dragen drive in the ariginal speach with fan subs got to love the free fan subs.

I can see someone who understands me when I say dubbed anime sucks….

I do care about the good animation and music, but what’s most important to me is the good story line and how they express the themes in that specific anime….
I don’t care much about the length of the anime, just don’t be too short and don’t be too damn long….

Misao…I think I can explain most of the Whys in tera’s post…. I’ve seen most of them…Well, I haven’t seen the gundam thing (It just doesn’t do it for me), and three others….

anyways,
.Hack//SIGN, a good story line, well developed characters and COOL MUSIC…
Trigun, I didn’t like it much myself, But I think it’s the characters and the comedy work…
Boys be, Real well developed characters and a good story line…I think…
Record of Loddos War, It’s an RPG:D….Same thing with the Slayers three sets….Both are good. But slayers have some comedy…

Most of it are my openions though, but I think that those MIGHT be the reasons why he said those animes are good.

Well….It’d take me real long explaining why each anime is good….
I haven’t seen an overall good anime, but most of them do it for me:D…..

That’s it….

T.W.K.

@O wandering one
I watched some of the series tera mentioned myself, and agree for example that .hack//SIGN is good and that Slayers is the most fun to watch ever, but that’s my opinion, not his… Anyway…

Slayers? That’s a series where I especially enjoy the filler episodes. That’s rare… But they are so damn funny. It’s amazing: Slayers (when you count all three series) is so long, and yet it’s still funny, so damn funny…

To me, it has to have an awsome storyline, awsome characters(evil like) main characters, lots of action, good voice acting, nice animation, good script, excellent music.

I really like anime with good character development.

Rich, bold, well rounded characters always stood out for me.

The stories don’t always stick with you but you should always remember the main characters and the odd ones that stand out.

Ofcourse great animation quality don’t hurt. 🙂

A good Anime should have a solid cast of characters. I like ones that show the development of each character over the course of a series. I good storyline to keep viewers interested. Animation is important but not the number 1 ingredient of what makes a great anime.

For me the characters are very important. What should I do with an anime wich story is absolutly amazing but the characters are just too stupid (or depressed) to endure?!
When the story is great and everything else fits then I�m satisfied.
The story-line in Slayers is not really a new thing but the characters are great (aww! I mean… Zelgadis for example or Xellos!) The synchro is just amazing (the German one just sucks! Oh~ I hate them! they drive me mad!!! I wanna take them and kill them! What they did to my favourate anime is just unbearable!!!)

For me an anime has to have:

1.) good charas
2.) cool synchro (Only two words: Megumi Hayashibara!)
3.) interesting story
4.) goooooood, breathtaking animations
5.) funny parts (or it has to be always funny! that�s even better then, cause I hate these saaad depressed stories (Yes, I�m looking your way, Shinji! 😉 )
6.) fitting music (Witch Hunter Robin is an example for cool music!)
7.) umm— amazing show-downs (hmm~ Slayers)

and so on…
I am still looking for an anime that contains all of these parts.
:eye: (a long search!!)

Whatever, the anime I absolutly LOVE is Slayers and will always be! After watching it I feel always great! And Misao�s right, the filler episodes are the best! 😉

That�s a long post! 😮 wow

"Lady Auron" 😎

It’s one word:
BLOOD!
and hot sexy chicks!

Wad makes a great anime? Lotsa pple haf different opinions but i tink tat storyline and the theme hidden in it r the primary factors.. as well as gd characters, twists and turns, and blah blah u shud noe

Take for example.. Shinseiki Evangelion.. tat is one anime full of mystery and religious stuff.. the storyline theme is so dense tat ya haf ta literally go watch the series, movies all over again juz ta catch it.. and when u understand, u proclaim it as splendid..

Rite the best anime fer me so far is Ruouni Kenshin.. no doubts watsoever!!! But hey, ANIME ROX!!!!!!!!!!!

What makes a good anime…..

I think it’s probably the Charac dev and the storyline. The pacing of the series must be good. If the story drags on, it can get pretty irritating. memorable Characters are a must. Examples would be Gourry, Lina Inverse, (SLAYERS RULEZ!), Vash the stampede and Hero from Gundam W.

I would have to say story and characters. I can watch an anime over and over if it looks ugly as long as the story and characters are well thought of. It really doesn’t need to have much, or any action in it at all. Look at .hack//SIGN. It really didn’t have much action in it but was one of the best anime’s out there. The story was just so good. Characters were lacking at times near the start but as it progressed they got cooler.

Serious plot, with comic relief everynow and then.

Great artwork/animation.

Lots of ass kicking with either mechs or medieval weapons.

Lots of blood and gore.

Lots of fan service.

Lots of vulgarities.

Storyline is NO.1.. cmon all those poor anime directors and storyboard guys muz haf been workin their butts off juz ta get a top-rated anime..

My opinion. No takin it seriously ok?

The graphics is also one of those important factors in an anime. Good graphics could make or break it. I mean the Flame of Recca anime didn’t have as good artists as the Manga series and I was a little put off by the show.

The latest tech in the Anime industry also allows the artists to refine the hand drawn technique and this also improves the quality of the show. I mean, look at Love Hina!

Love Hina is nice on manga.. i dun tink its tat good on anime :p

The Love Hina manga was *FAR* superior to the anime. And Nobuyuki Anzais art pretty awful until later on in FoR, and I would say the anime art is at least on par with the manga, for the section it covers.

Erm.. i tink it was the other way round Duo.. the art in FOR was better in the later mangas.. the first few were to me.. ack

No, you misread. It is pretty awful UNTIL later on (i.e. at the beginning :)).

WHOOPsie i misread:p sorrie bout tat

Guys , actually, I was refering to the standard of quality in the anime art. Of course the manga is superior to the anime. I mean the anime cut short the story in so many areas. It added in a few other storylines but it did not really finish the story.

That’s because they weren’t allowed make a second season. It’s unfinished (duh), of course they couldn’t finish it. The anime was enjoyable, not as good as the manga, no, but it was still pretty good. There are many far worse anime versions of manga you could complain about, I don’t see how FoR, of all anime, deserves to be singled out – it was a good show!

Oh, and art isn’t that important. I don’t watch anime so I can be entertained by pretty colours. It’s the characters and the plot that appeal to me.

5 Things.
Narrative coherence – As with any great story, things just have to make sense. details must be filled in. Plot holes must be minimized.
Story Evolution – If it stagnates, it gets boring. Fast.
Character/viewer relationship and development – If we don’t care about the characters in the story, Its obviously not going to get watched.
Atmosphere – The world the story takes place in must be immersive and believable with out being to real. Even stories that take place in the real world have something that makes it stand out from whats outside. This can be something as extreme as Xenosaga or something very subtle like Hellgirl.
Animation – If it looks like a 2 year old did the art work. No ones going to watch it.

1) The score
2) The seiyuu cast
3) Character design
4) Deep storyline with lots of twists
5) Catchy opening theme
6) Characters with charisma

IMO:

*0) This depends on the person who is watching. If he/she(it xD) is a anime/VGM/Films BGM/OST lover, he will say that is more important the score than anything else… If he/se doesnt use to listen the BGM/OST of his/her favourite series, will be a secondary thing. I dont know where i am (in this) though…

1) The plot AND (IMPORTANT) If its based on a Manga… Try to be the SAME. This is a golden rule.
2) Character Designs <- Agree 100% with Kenji. The more weird the character, more attraction and (atention) will have.
3) The Animation (I can count endless animes and mangas with awesome drawgins (Bastard for ex.) and the plot is nearly Zero. Same happens ith the animation, its a shame. And the contrary too…)
4) The LOGIC of the story (Oda’s example is the best i can think off of a manga/anime, actually). How all the story is perfectly planned.
4) Places and situations the watcher/reader wouldnt NEVER expect (Master Oda). This is a way to surprise, same idea as "Lots of twists".
5) The Personalities (�Charisma? I Suppose) of the characters. Dont try the same stereotype of the typical heroes, antagonists, etc.
6) The music, BGM’s, etc. (Opening should be later?).
6) The motivation and will of the seiyuus
7) (No more less important) Qualitiy of the OP-ED’s. <- Try to get a band acknowledged in the Otaku Word (Uverworld? Asian Kung Fu Generation? JAM?, etc.)

Yeah, i agree (more or less) with Kenji.

PD: Seriously, Bastard has an awesome drawing style but the plot is ridiculoud after the volume �18?. And we can see the animation of Naruto of certain episodes (Aka VS Pain xDDDDD, WFT?!?) was terrible. Or you can think in the animation of TORIKO, compare the manga to the anime… WTF? Where is the blood? where is the Gore? Where is the fucking action? :S

Good Question.

– Good Plot, fast-pace, lovable and deep characters and good character development, plot twists, fitting and involving atmosphere, great loud thrilling BGM, touchy and sad moments, climatic or tragedy ending or just cryable happy ending, no filler episodes, serious dark tone and more important, no fan-service or cliche ecchi moments

Something that touches the heart as well as the head.

Good characters
Nicely done animation
Mood music

A good anime needs:
– good characters
– a good story (not as short as nowadays with 12 episodes, but also no cheap exploitation like series with 200+ episodes)
– good music
– good concept

to me, what makes a great anime:

– Humor: you have to have at least a bit of comedy somewhere right? (History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi is a great example)
– Inclusion of giant robots: Gundam series, Transformers, etc…
– lots of action scenes (Sword Art Online is an example)
– a good plot
– good music
– good acting and character design
– good animation and graphics
– chicks (depends on the show your watching): whether cute, sexy or have big boobs, you gotta have at least have a female lead character, am I right?